It turns out homeowners are remodeling their homes for the long run.

Most Searched Homes: Craftsman Style
Thomas J. Story

When it comes to prioritizing rooms in the home to renovate, people are putting their kitchens and bathrooms at the top of the list, according to the 2023 U.S. Houzz & Home Study. That’s not a huge surprise there as they can be the most trafficked areas of a home. Houzz also reported that consistent with previous years, interior spaces are the most popular to renovate (72% of people did so last year), and they also found that homeowners take on an average of three interior projects at a time. Nearly three in five homeowners remodeled or redecorated last year and nearly half made repairs. All of this data was compiled from a survey Houzz sent out to users, to which 46,000 people responded.

White kitchen with island

Thomas J. Story

For more proof of the two rooms’ popularity, the study found that in 2022 more homeowners upgraded their kitchen and bathrooms than in 2021 (30% and 27%, respectively in 2022; and 28% and 26%, respectively in 2021). And not only were more people upgrading their kitchen and bathrooms, but they were also spending more on those renovations. In 2022, the median spend was $20,000 for kitchen and $13,500 for primary bathrooms—that’s a 33% and 50% increase, respectively, from 2021.

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Aside from kitchen and bathrooms, the other rooms that homeowners were prioritizing were the living/family room (23%), guest/other bedroom (17%), primary bedroom (16%), laundry room (16%), closet (16%), dining room (15%), and home office (13%).

Berkeley Craftsman Remodel Bathroom Vanity

Thomas J. Story

In general, the study found that homeowners are renovating their homes for the long run, with three in five stating that they plan to stay in their homes for 11 years or more following a 2022 renovation. “Faced with shortages of housing stock and high interest rates, we’re seeing homeowners update their current home to make the space more functional for the long term,” said Liza Hausman, vice president of Industry Marketing at Houzz, in a press release. “We’re also seeing an uptick in additions, with the vast majority of homeowners hiring professionals to achieve their goals.”

Interestingly enough, even though people were still renovating their homes in 2023 (55% said they were planning projects that year), many home remodeling and design professionals expected slowed growth in 2023. Guess we’ll have to see if next year’s Houzz study will prove that prediction.

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